Department for Business and Trade

Small Businesses: Expenditure

Lord Allen of Kensington: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their current target for expenditure with small and medium-sized enterprises, directly and indirectly through procurement; and whether they expect to meet it.

The Earl of Minto: The Department will be updating our SME Action Plan later this year and it will set an ambition for future spending aligned with our procurement strategy.

Department for Education

Rye College: Teachers

Lord Blencathra: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of reports that a teacher in Rye College in East Sussex called a year 8 pupil "despicable" and "homophobic" because she allegedly said that a person who identified as a cat was ill; and what action, if any, they plan to take in response to this matter.

Baroness Barran: The safety and wellbeing of students is our top priority. The department is clear that teachers should not teach contested views as fact, and it is important that parents and carers are reassured their children are not being influenced by the personal views of those teaching them.My right hon. Friend, the Secretary of State for Education, has asked the Regional Director to look into the matter further to establish the full details of the case and whether the school requires any additional support. It is right that these issues are thoroughly looked at and the requisite action is taken, and we understand that Ofsted is considering its response.

Education: ICT

Baroness Uddin: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to including (1) AI, (2) metaverse, and (3) emerging new technologies, in (a) primary, and (b) secondary, education.

Baroness Barran: The government is committed to ensuring that all children, regardless of their background, have access to a world class computing education.The department introduced computing as a statutory National Curriculum subject in 2014, to replace the subject of information and communications technology (ICT), widely regarded as outdated. The computing curriculum ensures that pupils are taught the principles of information and computation, how computers work and take instructions, and how to put this knowledge to use through programming and algorithms. This starts from primary school, where pupils learn how to design and debug simple programmes and learn about the wider impact of technology, including how search engine results are ranked.The computing curriculum is intentionally broad to allow flexibility in how content is taught, to reduce the risk that it will become outdated, given the speed of innovation. It was designed to prepare pupils with foundational knowledge that allows them to understand and respond to new and emerging technologies. The computer science GCSE is designed to equip pupils with the foundational knowledge they will need for the technological jobs of the future, including those in artificial intelligence (AI).The department recently published a statement, ‘Generative AI in education’, setting out its position on the use of generative AI, including large language models like ChatGPT or Google Bard, in the education sector. This statement is attached. The statement is informed by the government's White Paper on a pro-innovation approach to AI regulation and follows the government's recent announcement to create a Foundation Model Taskforce. The White Paper is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/ai-regulation-a-pro-innovation-approach/white-paper, and the Foundational Model Taskforce announcement is available at: https://www.gov.uk/government/news/initial-100-million-for-expert-taskforce-to-help-uk-build-and-adopt-next-generation-of-safe-ai.AI, the metaverse, and emerging new technologies all present both potential benefits and threats to young people. E-safety is embedded within the computing curriculum, across all Key Stages, with progression in content to reflect the different and escalating risks that young people may encounter. They are taught how to use technology safely, responsibly, respectfully and securely, how to keep their personal information private, how to recognise acceptable and unacceptable behaviour, and where they can go for help and support on content they come across on the internet, or via other online technologies.The department is seeking views, through a call for evidence, on how generative artificial intelligence is being used across education in England, including the opportunities and risks it presents. The call for evidence is available at: https://consult.education.gov.uk/digital-strategy/generative-artificial-intelligence-in-education/.To ensure that the curriculum is taught to a high standard, the department has invested over £100 million in the creation of a National Centre for Computing Education (NCCE). To date, the NCCE’s achievements include managing a computing hub network and providing high quality training and resources to teachers, equipping over 7,900 teachers with the subject expertise they need to confidently teach the computer science GCSE. Generative_artificial_intelligence_in_education (pdf, 176.7KB)

Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office

Sudan: Sexual Offences

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to deploy members of the Preventing Sexual Violence in Conflict Initiative team of experts to Sudan or neighbouring countries.

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government what additional steps they are taking to support the documentation of conflict-related sexual violence in Sudan since the outbreak of hostilities in April.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: There has been an escalation of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV) against women and girls in Sudan since the start of the conflict on 15 April. The UK is working to ensure gender and inclusion conflict analyses underpin all aspects of the crisis response. The UK continues to provide funds to the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan (OHCHR), a UN body that has a crucial role in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. They are setting up remote monitoring mechanisms. Through the Women's Integrated Sexual Health programme, the UK is also providing integrated sexual and reproductive services, and provisions of family planning and management of sexual and gender-based violence (SGBV).

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to ensure that, in any ceasefire and peace agreements in Sudan, (1) conflict-related sexual violence (CRSV) is included as a prohibited act, (2) monitoring for CRSV is included,(3) amnesties for crimes under international law are prohibited, and (4) arrangements for justice and accountability mechanisms are included.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK condemns all human rights violations, including the escalation of Conflict Related Sexual Violence against women and girls in Sudan. A UK-drafted resolution passed at the UN Human Rights Council on 11 May highlighted the urgent need to protect civilians and humanitarian workers and ensure accountability for human rights violations. The UK Government has enhanced its atrocity risk monitoring, including monitoring of conflict-related sexual violence. We continue to support the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights in Sudan in monitoring and reporting on human rights violations. We call on both sides to abide by their responsibilities under International Law, protect civilians and grant immediate and unimpeded humanitarian access, including providing medical assistance and psychosocial support for survivors of sexual violence.

Sudan: Humanitarian Aid

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of the UK's humanitarian support for(1) people inside Sudan, and (2) people fleeing violence in Sudan, is allocated to gender-based violence programming.

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government what proportion of UK aid and development funding to Sudan was allocated to gender-based violence programming in each financial year between 2012 and 2023.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: We do not hold data broken down in this way. The UK is committed to tackling gender-based violence (GBV) and conflict-related sexual violence globally. On 24 May, the Minister for Development and Africa announced £21.7 million humanitarian funding for people in need in Sudan, part of a £143 million package of humanitarian aid for East Africa. This includes support for the protection of GBV survivors inside Sudan. The UK is providing £5 million to support refugees and returnees fleeing the violence to South Sudan and Chad. Of this, £500,000 will support UNICEF South Sudan and £45,000 will support International Red Cross and Concern Worldwide in Eastern Chad to provide GBV protection services. The UK Government is pursuing all diplomatic avenues, including at the UN Security Council and Human Rights Council, through engagement with the conflicting parties, and through cooperation with international partners, including the African Union, to end the violence in Sudan.

Sudan: Peace Negotiations

Baroness Helic: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking to support the inclusion of women in ceasefire and peace negotiations in Sudan.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Prior to the outbreak of conflict on 15 April, the British Embassy in Khartoum had made considerable efforts to ensure the involvement of civil society, community representatives and marginalised groups, including women, in the political process. The UK is working closely with Saudi Arabia and the US as part of the Quad (UK, US, KSA and UAE) and supported the Jeddah Process. These talks are now suspended. The UK is working through a new African Union-led Core Group to ensure inclusive regional and international action to secure a viable peace process. We are working to ensure that gendered conflict analysis underpins all aspects of the crisis response, and to identify opportunities to amplify women's voices, particularly women mediators. To achieve sustainable peace, it is essential that ceasefire and peace negotiations involve civil society and women's groups.

Africa: Science

Lord Boateng: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to be represented at the Association of African Universities biennial Conference of Rectors and Vice-Chancellors in Windhoek, Namibia, for the launch of the Charter Initiative to promote equitable partnerships for scientific research between African and British scientific institutions.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The Government is committed to strengthening UK-Africa equitable science and tech partnerships to deliver our mutual objectives and address global challenges. We work with leading African research networks and initiatives to drive this agenda forward, including the African Research Universities Alliance, the Science for Africa Foundation, and the African Science Granting Councils Initiative. Our dedicated science and tech teams on the continent are on hand to engage with all relevant stakeholders in pursuit of this common goal and will be exploring how we can work more closely with the Association of African Universities.

Africa: Science

Lord Boateng: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the role of collaboration between British and African science-based institutions in delivering the UK's International Development Strategy.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Science and technology play a vital role in delivering the UK's International Development Strategy. HMG invests to strengthen equitable UK-Africa scientific collaborations and ensure the power of science delivers impactful and transformative change. The UK is a proud advocate for Open Science, deploying our world class expertise to drive open standards for critical and emerging technologies while protecting research security. That is why we invest in collaborations such as the UK-South Africa health partnership, through which UK and South Africa researchers save lives in the UK, South Africa and beyond - with research into vital issues from noncommunicable diseases, health systems and financing to mental health and surgery.

Developing Countries: Foreign Investment

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they are taking, if any, to encourage frontier and emerging market countries to adopt environmental, social and governance standards for attracting investment into those countries and to safeguard financial returns.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: The UK supports globally consistent Environmental, Social and Governance (ESG) standards through the work being led by the International Sustainability Standards Board. The UK also works through our Development Finance Institution, British International Investment (BII), which plays an important role in implementing ESG standards. BII for example has a policy on Responsible Investing which sets out the environmental, social and business integrity requirements (ESG) that BII Investees are expected to meet after an investment is made.

Africa: Higher Education

Lord Boateng: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to meet with representatives of UK universities to discuss the potential of equitable collaboration between British and African research institutions in enhancing the impact of the UK Science and Innovation Network in Africa.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: HMG Ministers and officials regularly meet representatives of UK universities to discuss the potential of equitable collaboration between British and African research institutions. As part of this, our Science and Innovation Network frequently engage with UK and African institutions to enhance equitable science partnerships. For example, HMG Science and Innovation officials were instrumental in supporting the signing of a hydrogen collaboration MoU between the universities of Stellenbosch and Teeside during the State visit to the UK, and HMG continues to fund bilateral research chairs in South Africa (SA), which has enhanced University relationships between UK/SA partners, including the Nelson Mandela University and the University of Southampton in Ocean Sciences. The Science and Innovation Network continues to act as a matchmaker between UK and African institutions exploring opportunities for collaboration in a broad range of disciplines.

Russia: Crimes against Humanity

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask His Majesty's Government, in the light of reports that Russian soldiers are castrating Ukrainian prisoners in prisoner of war camps, what assessment they have made of whether Russian soldiers are repeatedly committing crimes against humanity.

Lord Ahmad of Wimbledon: Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine is marked by increasing evidence of war crimes and crimes against humanity against Ukrainian service personnel and civilians, including executions, torture and sexual violence. We are fully committed to holding Russian forces to account for any atrocities that have been committed in Ukraine. Established accountability mechanisms, including the International Criminal Court's investigations and Ukrainian domestic judicial processes are investigating all allegations of war crimes, crimes against humanity and genocide. The UK continues to support these independent investigations, including by establishing the Atrocity Crimes Advisory Group with the US and EU to provide practical and financial support to assist the War Crimes Unit of the Office of the Prosecutor General of Ukraine.

Home Office

Educational Visits: EU Nationals

The Earl of Clancarty: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Murray of Blidworth on 19 June when he stated that "it isopen to other Governments to negotiate an arrangement of the kind we have now negotiated with the French Government" (HL Deb col 3), what steps they will take to make similar arrangements with other EU countries; whether such arrangements regarding school visits will be made with all EU countries; and what is the timescale for the concluding of those agreements.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: The agreement we have is specific to France. Our deal with France has elevated our cooperation on illegal migration to unprecedented levels. We are also deepening our cooperation with European allies upstream and in our near-abroad to tackle illegal migration at every stage of the process.

Gender Based Violence

Baroness Uddin: To ask His Majesty's Government whatassessment they have made of the potential provision of content regarding tackling violence against women and girls through (1) immersive, and (2) other, electronic media.

Lord Sharpe of Epsom: The Home Office has worked to identify the most impactful and cost-effective channels to provide content under its tackling violence against women and girls campaign, Enough. This has included variety of digital channels including social media advertising, video-on-demand, digital audio and search engine optimisation. Immersive forms of electronic media were considered as part of the campaign’s PR activity, but not pursued, following advice from sector experts who felt this type of activity could carry an increased risk of triggering trauma among victims of abuse. We will continue to ensure any future campaign activity explores and utilises innovative ways of reaching our audiences and delivering its vital message.

Human Trafficking: Boats

Lord Balfe: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the Written Answer byLord Murray of Blidworth on 19 June (HL8185), whether there is any way in which boats “disposed of by Border Force’s approved contractors” could be reused by people smugglers.

Lord Murray of Blidworth: I refer the Noble Lord to the answer provided to Question HL7826 on 23 May.

Department for Culture, Media and Sport

Gambling

Lord Hay of Ballyore: To ask His Majesty's Government what recent steps they have taken to address the issue of problem online gambling; and what measures they plan to implement to protect vulnerable individuals online.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: His Majesty’s Government recognises that, while millions of people gamble online without experiencing problems, for some it becomes an addiction with serious consequences. It is particularly important to take steps to protect vulnerable people, including young people, from risks associated with problem online gambling.The Department for Culture, Media and Sport recently published a White Paper following our review of the Gambling Act 2005. This White Paper outlines a range of proportionate measures to tackle practices and products which can drive harm and ensure that people who are at risk of gambling harm and addiction are protected. These include new player protection checks, a stake limit for online slots games, improvements to consumer redress, and a statutory levy on operators to fund research, education and treatment.We will work with the Gambling Commission and others to bring these measures into force at the earliest possible opportunity. Where further consultations are necessary, our aim is to publish them as quickly as possible.

Islamic Human Rights Commission

Lord Godson: To ask His Majesty's Government what official warnings have been issued, or enforcement action taken, by the Charity Commission in the past 24 months in relation to Islamic Human Rights Commission or its affiliates, including the IHRC Trust.

Lord Parkinson of Whitley Bay: The Charity Commission issued the Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust with an Official Warning on 28 March 2023. This was due to concerns about the Trust’s management of its relationship with a non-charitable entity, the Islamic Human Rights Commission, and its failure to comply with legal reporting requirements.The Official Warning was given following regulatory advice previously issued by the Charity Commission to the Trust. Further details of the Official Warning are publicly available on the Islamic Human Rights Commission Trust’s entry on the register of charities.The Islamic Human Rights Commission is not a registered charity and does not fall under the jurisdiction of the Charity Commission.

Treasury

Cash Dispensing: Fees and Charges

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government what is the percentage of existing ATMs that will be protected under the provisions of the Financial Services and Markets Bill to ensure the continued provision of free-to-use cash access services.

The Marquess of Lothian: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the implementation of the Financial Services and Markets Bill, whether they anticipate that any changes will be made to the funding model for ATM operators to help to keep ATMs operational on a free-to-use basis.

Baroness Penn: The government has recently legislated through the Financial Services and Markets Act 2023 to establish a new legislative framework to protect access to cash. The Act establishes the Financial Conduct Authority (FCA) as the lead regulator for access to cash with responsibility and powers to seek to ensure reasonable provision of withdrawal and deposit facilities. As part of this responsibility, the FCA must also seek to ensure that there is reasonable provision of free withdrawal and deposit facilities in relation to personal current accounts. The FCA will be responsible for determining what constitutes “reasonable provision”. In doing so, the regulator must have regard to a Cash Access Policy Statement that will be published by the government in due course, any local deficiencies in cash access services that the regulator has identified and considers to be significant, and other factors that it considers to be relevant. ATMs play an important role in the availability of cash withdrawal facilities. Decisions regarding the operation and funding arrangements of an ATM network are taken by the parties involved. LINK (the scheme that runs the UK's largest ATM network) has made commitments to protect the broad geographic spread of free-to-use ATMs and is held to account against these commitments by the Payment Systems Regulator. LINK publishes information on the number of protected ATMs monthly, and ATMs can be suggested for protected status via LINK’s website: https://www.link.co.uk/consumers/request-access-to-cash/suggest-an-atm-for-protected-status/ According to LINK data for March 2023, there were around 39,000 free-to-use ATMs across the UK. Further information is available at: https://www.link.co.uk/initiatives/financial-inclusion-monthly-report/

Customs: Departmental Coordination

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government with which government departments are collaborating with HMRC working to ensure efficient and seamless movement of goods through the UK Single Trade Window.

Baroness Penn: Government departments with a direct interest in the UK border are collaborating on the design and operation of the UK Single Trade Window and include those listed below. As delivery progresses, the STW Programme may engage with other departments and agencies with an interest in the Single Trade Window.Animal and Plant Health AgencyCabinet OfficeCrown Commercial ServiceDefraDepartment for Business and Trade (and formerly the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy)Department for Culture, Media and SportDepartment for TransportDepartment of Health and Social CareDevolved Administrations in Scotland, Wales and Northern IrelandEnvironment AgencyFood Standards AgencyForeign, Commonwealth and Development OfficeGovernment Legal DepartmentHM TreasuryHMRCHome OfficeInfrastructure and Projects AuthorityOffice for Product Safety and StandardsUK Health Security Agency

Customs

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government whatrisk mitigation strategiesthey have in place to ensure that theUK Single Trade Window project stays within the set parameters of scope, budget, and delivery timelines.

Baroness Penn: There is significant governance in place to ensure the Single Trade Window (STW) Programme stays within the set parameters of scope, budget and delivery timelines. The STW will be delivered through strategic releases over several years. This iterative approach will allow regular reviews of delivery against scope, budgets and timelines throughout the Programme’s lifetime and will allow for early escalation and resolution of risks and issues. Comprehensive internal governance is in place to achieve this. An assurance function within the STW Programme will ensure that functionality developed and released by the Programme’s technical delivery partner delivers the agreed scope and requirements. In addition to internal Programme governance, the Government’s normal scrutiny through HMRC, HM Treasury, Cabinet Office and the Infrastructure and Projects Authority (IPA) will apply.

Northern Ireland Office

Prerogative of Mercy: Northern Ireland

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government how many times the royal prerogatives of mercy has been exercised in Northern Ireland in each of the past five years.

Lord Caine: The Royal Prerogative of Mercy has not been exercised in Northern Ireland within the past five years.

Erskine House: Flags

Lord Rogan: To ask His Majesty's Government, further to the remarks byLord Caine in Grand Committee on 26 April (HL Deb col442GC), what progress has been made towards having the Union flag fly in Erskine House on designated days.

Lord Caine: The Northern Ireland Office is not the lead tenant in Erskine House and it is not responsible for decisions around flag flying for the building. Erskine House has several tenants, including UK Government departments, and does not currently have a flagpole installed. Unfortunately, as a tenant, we do not currently have permission to install one.

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Baroness Hoey: To ask His Majesty's Government, following the remarks by the Irish prime minister on 21 June, what assessment they have made of the risk of the UK being taken to the European Court of Human Rights by the Irish government in an inter-state case if the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill is enacted.

Lord Caine: The UK Government is determined, through the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Bill, to deliver better outcomes for those most affected by the Troubles. To do this, we must acknowledge the difficult but practical realities that exist, and recognise that, in order to give the best chance of providing greater information, accountability and acknowledgement to victims, survivors, and families than is currently the case, we must do things differently. The UK Government is confident that the Bill complies with our international obligations under the European Commission on Human Rights.

Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill

Lord Dodds of Duncairn: To ask His Majesty's Government what assessment they have made of the views of victims’ groups and families on the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy and Reconciliation) Bill.

Lord Caine: The Government has always been clear that the purpose of the Northern Ireland Troubles (Legacy & Reconciliation) Bill is to deliver better outcomes for those most affected by the Troubles, including victims and their families, providing more information to families in a more timely manner than through the existing mechanisms. The Government has always acknowledged the concerns expressed by interested parties about the legislation and been consistent in its commitment to strengthen the Bill in order to alleviate many such concerns. That is why, ahead of the Report Stage in the House of Lords, we tabled amendments relating to the conduct of reviews, compliance with international obligations, the independence of the Commission, and strengthening the provisions regarding conditional immunity. The Government recognises that the Bill remains challenging for many, but continues to believe that it represents the best way forward for those most affected by the Troubles, and to help Northern Ireland look forward.

Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what new proposals they have undertaken to improve the health and welfare of farmed animals within their annual health and welfare review.

Lord Benyon: As part of the fully funded annual health and welfare review eligible cattle, sheep and pig keepers are able to access bespoke advice from their choice of vet alongside access to diagnostic testing for key endemic diseases and conditions. This advice includes recommended actions to take and signposting to further support available. This will support farmers to continually improve the health and welfare of their livestock and the increases in productivity that comes with this.

Animal Products

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what steps they will take to stimulate market demand for higher animal welfare products within the (1) transparency, and (2) strengthening, of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' regulatory baseline.

Lord Benyon: Stimulating market demand for higher welfare products is a key strand of the Animal Health and Welfare Pathway. We are continuing to work with industry to explore how we can harness the market to improve food information to consumers and build on our high standards of animal welfare, while aligning with wider food labelling priorities such as eco-labelling. Alongside this we are investigating where additional regulatory tools may be required to ensure that effective enforcement of our high animal health and welfare standards is maintained.

Livestock: Animal Welfare

Baroness Redfern: To ask His Majesty's Government what progress they have made to fully fund vet visits for farmers as per their annual health and welfare review.

Lord Benyon: The annual health and welfare review opened to all eligible keepers of cattle, sheep and pigs in February 2023, giving farmers access to a fully funded visit to their farm by a vet of their choice. In the coming months we will continue to iterate the service by further simplifying the application process. Further iterations will allow more reviews to take place, by opening the offer to livestock keepers who are not Basic Payment Scheme recipients and to those who keep multiple species or multiple herds and flocks of the same species.

Department of Health and Social Care

Abortion: Drugs

Lord Jackson of Peterborough: To ask His Majesty's Government what is their assessment of any dangers for vulnerable women presented by the lack of in-person consultations before dispensing abortion pills by post, and the risk of offences under the Offences Against the Person Act 1861 being committed by a third party coercing a pregnancy termination.

Lord Markham: The Department recognises safeguarding as an essential aspect of abortion care. As stated in the Department’s Required Standard Operating Procedures for approved independent sector abortion providers, we expect all abortion providers to have effective arrangements in place to safeguard vulnerable women accessing home-use early medical abortion who may be experiencing coercion to end a pregnancy. Providers must ensure that all staff are trained in recognising the signs of potential abuse and coercion in adult women and know how to respond. We also require providers to have protocols for onward referral to specialist services where they have reason to suspect someone has experienced abuse.

Eating Disorders

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what plans they have to apply additional resources to combat the increasing problem of eating disorders.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government whether they intend to implement new strategies or projects to combat the problem of eating disorders.

Lord Weir of Ballyholme: To ask His Majesty's Government what specific strategies or initiatives are being targeted at supporting teenagers with eating disorders.

Lord Markham: Under the NHS Long Term Plan, we will invest almost £1 billion extra in community mental health care for adults with severe mental illness by 2023/24. This will give 370,000 adults with severe mental illnesses, including eating disorders, greater choice and control over their care and support them to live well in their communities. As part of this we are expanding community eating disorder services capacity, including crisis care and intensive home treatment.Since 2016, investment in children and young people's community eating disorder services has risen every year, with an extra £54 million per year from 2022/23. This extra funding will enhance the capacity of community eating disorder teams across the country.The long-term aim set out within the NHS Long-Term Plan is to improve community support for serious mental illnesses, such as eating disorders, to avoid the need for an inpatient admission where possible.NHS England is refreshing guidance on children and young people's eating disorders, including to increase the focus on early identification and intervention. Updated guidance will highlight the importance of improved integration between dedicated community eating disorder services, wider children and young people's mental health services, schools, colleges and primary care to improve awareness, provide expert advice and improve support for children and young people presenting with problems with eating, whilst ensuring swift access to specialist support as soon as an eating disorder is suspected.Investment in Community Eating Disorder teams for children and young people will support prevention, early identification and intervention, offering swift access to treatment.To accelerate the provision of early intervention eating disorder services for young adults, in 2019/20 NHS England funded 18 sites to implement “First Episode Rapid Early intervention for Eating Disorders” model for 16–25-year-olds. The model is now being adopted more widely.

Cystic Fibrosis

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask His Majesty's Government what consideration they have given to support for people living with long-term conditions such as cystic fibrosis,following the publication ofthe report Your life and CFby the Cystic Fibrosis Trust on 6 June, which found that one in five people affected by that condition missed a hospital appointment in the past 12 months due to cost.

Lord Markham: People with long term conditions such as cystic fibrosis who are eligible for financial assistance through the Healthcare Travel Costs Scheme can claim a refund of reasonable travel costs. Travel expenses should be calculated by reference to the cheapest means of transport that is reasonable for the patient. This can include journeys made in a private vehicle.To help alleviate cost pressures associated with travel for appointments, NHS England is supporting NHS providers to embed, spread and use video consultations innovatively across their services. The decision on whether an appointment needs to take place face-to-face, on video or by telephone will be made by an expert clinician based on patients’ individual care needs and preferences.

Antibiotics: Water

Baroness Bennett of Manor Castle: To ask His Majesty's Government what stepsthey havetaken to research and promote increased waterconsumption by care home patients to reduce (1) prophylactic antibiotic use, and (2) downstream effects on drug-resistant infections.

Lord Markham: NHS England is funding a series of hydration pilots, to test out which hydration related interventions are most likely to increase fluid intake and whether this in turn reduces the risk of developing a urinary tract infection (UTI) in the older adult population living in care homes. These pilots are intended to reduce the incidence of urinary tract and blood stream infections, antibiotic prescribing and use, and antimicrobial resistance.

Cancer and Sepsis: Research

Baroness Ritchie of Downpatrick: To ask His Majesty's Government what funding they are allocating to (1) sepsis research, and (2) cancer research; and whether there are any planned changes to that funding.

Lord Markham: The Department invests over £1 billion per year in health research through the National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR). The NIHR welcomes funding applications for research into any aspect of human health, including sepsis research and cancer research.As with other Government funders of health research, the NIHR does not allocate funding for specific disease areas. The level of research spend in a particular area, is driven by factors including scientific potential and the number and scale of successful funding applications.

Cystic Fibrosis

Lord Selkirk of Douglas: To ask His Majesty's Government when patient organisations such as Cystic Fibrosis Trust, whose Clinical Trials Accelerator Platform informed the design of Clinical Trial Acceleration Networks, will be able to share lessons to feed into the implementation update for the O'Shaughnessy Review.

Lord Markham: The Government appointed Lord James O’Shaughnessy to carry out an independent review into United Kingdom commercial clinical trials. Following publication of the review on May 26, the Government made five headline commitments to improve the commercial clinical trials system backed by £121 million. This included £20 million to establish two or three new Clinical Trial Acceleration Networks which will bring together several existing mechanisms to create a joined-up approach to clinical trials, focusing on accelerating priority areas of research and delivering best practice.An update on implementation will be provided in Autumn, which will outline progress against these commitments as well as responding in full to the review recommendations. Implementation of the five headline commitments and the full review response will be informed by consultation with the UK clinical trials community including individual medical research charities and the Association of Medical Research Charities, of which the Cystic Fibrosis Trust is a member.

Department for Transport

Aviation: Reform

Baroness Randerson: To ask His Majesty's Government when, if at all, they plan to introduce any legislation that will be required to implement their plans announced in response to their Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation; and whether they intend to introduce a single ombudsman for the sector as part of their proposals for alternative dispute resolution.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The legislative reforms outlined in the Government response to the Aviation Consumer Policy Reform Consultation will be taken forward when parliamentary time allows. In the meantime, the Department will work with the industry and associated stakeholders to drive forward improvements for aviation consumers. In relation to Alternative Dispute Resolution (ADR), this will include exploring ways to improve the ADR process, and keeping under review whether the current ADR model works best for the aviation industry, or whether an alternative, such as a single ombudsman, would be more effective.

A1: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government when they expect the pot holes on the A1(M) to have been repaired.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: Safety inspections on the A1(M) are carried out by National Highways on a weekly basis and since January this year they have identified and repaired 16 potholes on the A1(M) between junctions 15 and 16 (Alconbury to Peterborough). There are no further potholes identified or awaiting repair. A maintenance scheme to resurface and address surface defects on the northbound carriageway of this stretch of the road is planned for September/October 2023. In the same period, National Highways has also identified over 340 potholes on the A1(M) in both directions between junctions 6 and 10. To date, they have repaired 323 and plan to carry out minor surface repairs to address the remaining 19 potholes over the next two months.

Roads: Repairs and Maintenance

Lord Naseby: To ask His Majesty's Government how they monitor whether local authorities are using funds provided by central Government for repairing potholes for that purpose.

Baroness Vere of Norbiton: The Department for Transport (DfT) allocates capital funding to local highways authorities under Section 31 of the Local Government Act 2003 (“the Act”) so that they can most effectively spend this funding on maintaining and improving their respective networks, based upon their local knowledge, circumstances, and priorities. Section 31 grant funding is not ringfenced as set out in the Act; it is up to the highway authority how to spend this funding to fulfil its statutory duty under Section 41 of the Highways Act 1980. Local decision makers are democratically accountable for the decisions they take. DfT strongly encourages authorities to spend their allocations on highways maintenance activities and advocates a risk-based whole lifecycle asset management approach to local authority highways maintenance programmes. This considers all parts of the highway network, such as gulleys, bridges, cycleways, and lighting columns – and not just the fixing of potholes.

Cabinet Office

Special Advisers

Lord Marlesford: To ask His Majesty's Government to give the names and pay grades of each politically appointed senior special adviser to each Minister.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: Information on all Special Advisers, including names and pay bands, is published annually in the Annual Report on Special Advisers, as required by the Constitutional Reform and Governance Act 2010. The latest iteration of the report is scheduled to be published in the Summer.

Customs

Viscount Waverley: To ask His Majesty's Government what policy amendments they anticipate to ensure that the UK Single Trade Window complies with prevailing regulations; and when trade bodies will have an opportunity to engage with them on this matter.

Baroness Neville-Rolfe: The Government recognises that for the Single Trade Window to be successful it must meet users’ different needs and the importance of engagement with stakeholders from across the wider border industry, including trade bodies. Significant consultation, user research and engagement have already taken place and will continue as policy design and delivery progress. We have engaged with trade representatives, industry and border experts, intermediaries and businesses of all sizes including SMEs, via a 2021 discussion paper detailing key STW policy and design choices, a 2022 public consultation on STW features and the draft Border Target Operating Model, published in April 2023. In addition to receiving numerous detailed written responses, we have conducted extensive follow-ups including the commissioning of independent qualitative research via interviews with small businesses and hosting multiple stakeholder events attended by key industry participants. We will provide further detail on the Single Trade Window, including plans for future engagement with stakeholders, in the final version of the Border Target Operating Model, which we hope to publish soon. We will continue to use the feedback we receive from our ongoing industry engagement and detailed user design activity to ensure that the Single Trade Window complies with all prevailing regulations and balances the needs of all stakeholders.